Team Harmonize
A biting wind whipped past my cheeks. Rain was sprinting down the hallway at breakneck speed. The wheelchair gripped in her hands hurtled forward just as fast, and I, sitting in it, was swept along for the ride.
Rain didn't stop. I couldn't stop either. She didn't care in the slightest about the stares of the onlookers around us; she just kept running.
"Um... Rain?"
"Yeah?"
"We just passed the cafeteria..."
"I know!"
Rain kept right on running. When I glanced back, I saw her smiling brightly, her eyes sparkling with pure excitement. Her tiny pink tongue peeked out from between her lips.
If you know, then why aren't we stopping? When are we actually going to eat? My face fell into a pout.
Rain continued to circle the cafeteria until Amy and Victor finally arrived.
The moment Rain got close enough, Amy brought her fist down right on top of her head.
"Ack!"
With a dull thud, Rain let out a sharp squeak and staggered on her feet.
"Jeff clearly doesn't like it," Amy scolded.
"I'm sorry, Jeff..." Rain whimpered, big tears welling up in her eyes as she apologized.
I finally understood why Rain never grew any taller. With Amy pounding her on the head like that every single day, it was a miracle she hadn't shrunk. I let out a soft sigh at the sight.
Amy took over pushing my wheelchair, and we headed inside. Shine was already waiting for us at a table.
"Jeff! Amy!" Shine called out, already eating from her lunchbox.
I waved back to her. "You started without us."
"Yeah. My training ended early today."
We walked over and took our seats around Shine. Since the wheelchair sat too low for the table, Amy gently lifted me up and placed me into a regular chair.
"How is your leg?" Shine asked.
"It doesn't really hurt."
"Still, it must be so inconvenient to get around."
"It's fine. Amy's been helping me."
"I can help you too, you know," Shine murmured, her voice laced with disappointment.
I gave Shine an awkward smile to soothe her disappointment, then pulled my lunchbox and a carton of milk from my bag. Normally, I would have been forced to choke down that awful green vegetable juice, but because my broken leg bone hadn't fully knit yet, Amy had packed me milk instead. It was infinitely better than that bitter green sludge, so I had absolutely no complaints.
Lunch proceeded peacefully enough. Rain had chosen fried rice today. I stared at her tray, my expression turning slightly wistful. Rain had definitely gotten smarter—she was actually using a spoon properly now.
As she happily shoveled fried rice into her mouth, Rain suddenly pulled a bright yellow smartphone from her pocket. A message must have arrived, because she set her spoon down and began tapping away at the screen. Tap, tap, tap. The phone's typing sound effect—which sounded like dripping water—echoed softly.
"Is it a mission?" Amy asked.
"Yeah. Looks like I'll have to head out for a bit," Rain replied.
I watched her curiously. What kind of work did Rain actually do on her missions?
"What kind of job is it, Rain?"
"I'm going to make it rain."
Making it rain... I recalled the nature of Rain's ability. Her power to summon dark clouds that blanketed the entire sky wasn't just a simple parlor trick. She could conjure massive quantities of water out of thin air, even in completely arid environments. If she were to use her power near an actual, massive body of water... I swallowed hard.
She might look like a helpless child, but Rain was still a high-ranking individual capable of leading her own team.
"Are you going alone?"
"No, Victor is coming with me this time."
"The two of you?"
"Yeah. Jin summoned us."
Just as she said, Victor was currently checking his own phone. I looked back and forth between them. I was incredibly curious about what kind of mission required both of them, but neither Rain nor Victor offered any details. They were strictly professional when it came to their duties.
"Sorry, Jeff! I wanted to show off and look cool for you today, but I guess I can't!" Rain hastily shoveled the rest of her fried rice into her mouth and hopped down from her chair. She gave Victor a quick nod, then scurried out of the cafeteria.
Victor also cleared his tray with mechanical speed. I watched him like a hawk, hoping to catch him off guard and swipe a side dish, but his defense was flawless. I slumped back, utterly defeated.
"Amy," Victor said, standing up after clearing his tray.
"Yes?"
"Don't tell Jin that our vacation is officially over yet."
"Why's that?"
"At least one of the three of us needs to stay behind and watch over the kids."
"My, aren't you surprisingly thoughtful?" Amy teased.
Victor merely turned his head away, ignoring her teasing. After a brief, awkward pause, he walked out of the cafeteria without another word.
"He's always so stiff," Amy chuckled softly, popping a slice of cucumber into her mouth. A loud, crisp crunch echoed in my ears.
"Was Victor... worrying about us?" Shine asked.
"Yeah, looks like it," I replied, copying Amy by popping a cucumber slice into my own mouth. As expected, the thinly sliced vegetable tasted like absolutely nothing.
Once we finished our meal, we left the cafeteria and stopped by the lounge area. As I sat there blankly watching the crowd of people passing by, Shine suddenly sidled up to Amy and tugged on her sleeve.
"Amy."
"Yes, sweetie?"
"I want some juice."
"Juice?"
"Mm-hmm."
I smacked my lips at the mention of juice and looked up at Amy too. Now, both Shine and I were staring at her with pleading eyes. Amy hesitated for a moment before pulling out her credit card and handing it to Shine.
"Just one each, okay?"
"Okay!"
The legendary black credit card made its appearance once more. Because it was always around, I sometimes forgot just how absurdly powerful it was. The sleek, glossy card made me shudder to think of the astronomical balance it held. With that single piece of plastic, she could probably buy out the entire convenience store, building and all.
Clutching the card, Shine practically skipped toward the convenience store. A faint, sweet smile played on her lips. I could feel her anticipation, a flutter of excitement, and pure joy. Sensing Shine's bright emotions made me feel happy too.
Shine returned with fresh fruit juices. She reached into the plastic bag and pulled out lemon, grape, and apple flavors. I immediately claimed the lemon juice. It was incredibly refreshing and sweet.
"Is there something else in there?" I asked, surprised by how heavy the bag still felt when I thought it was empty.
"I bought some water too."
Sure enough, there were two small bottles of mineral water resting at the bottom of the bag. When I gave her a puzzled look, Shine offered a gentle smile.
"Just in case you get thirsty later, Jeff."
I had just finished a whole bottle of juice, so I wasn't thirsty at all, but since she had gone out of her way to think of me, I smiled.
"Thanks, Shine..."
As lunch hour wrapped up, the lounge began to fill with crowds of people. Noticing the noise, Amy suggested that we head out to the park instead. I nodded eagerly. Shine also preferred quiet, uncrowded spaces, so the park was the perfect choice.
"But what about the stairs?" I asked, looking down at my wheels.
Amy answered by simply lifting the entire wheelchair off the ground by its handles, with me still sitting in it. Carrying me effortlessly, she marched out of the lounge and up the stairs, arriving at the park in no time. Once we reached the top, she gently set the wheelchair back down.
I glanced over toward the rabbit enclosure in the distance. "Jin isn't over there, is he?"
"Jin is away on a business trip today," Amy replied. "He's heading to the same area as Rain."
"Wait, Jin actually does field work?"
"Of course. His ability is incredibly useful in a wide variety of situations."
I blinked in surprise. I had honestly thought he was just a pathetic slacker who held the highest position in the organization while doing absolutely nothing but stealing food from literal rabbits. Apparently, he actually earned his keep.
"Amy, let me push," Shine said.
"Would you like to?"
"Yes."
Pushing the wheelchair must have looked fun to her, because she eagerly took the handles from Amy. The initial start was a bit bumpy and unstable, but Shine quickly got the hang of it and balanced the chair smoothly.
"What did you do today, Jeff?" Shine asked as she pushed me along.
"I watched Amy train."
Shine pushed the wheelchair at a leisurely pace—slowly, very slowly. Amy watched us with a warm smile before heading over to sit on a nearby bench.
I eagerly launched into a detailed description of everything I had witnessed today—how Rain had encased herself in a giant sphere of water like a hamster ball, and the mind-blowing, earth-shattering duel between Victor and Amy. Shine listened intently, hanging on my every word. But as I babbled on excitedly, it suddenly hit me that I hadn't asked about her day at all. A pang of guilt pricked at my chest.
"How was your training today, Shine?"
Shine's face lit up, as if she had been waiting for me to ask. Her story was almost entirely a shameless brag about how incredibly talented and cool she had been during her sessions. I smiled and nodded along, picturing her showing off.
"Jeff, aren't you thirsty?" Shine asked, her voice carrying a strange, subtle note of anticipation.
I touched my lips at her question. They did feel a bit dry; maybe I actually was thirsty.
"Here, drink some water."
I took the bottle of water Shine handed me and drank. The small bottle was empty in no time. A gentle breeze swept through the park, bringing a sense of peace, and the warm sunlight coaxed my tense muscles to relax.
Shine steered the wheelchair into a pleasant patch of shade, pushing me in slow, repetitive circles. I let out a long, lazy yawn.
"Jeff, are you sure you're not thirsty anymore?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Do you need to use the bathroom?"
"Nope, not really."
Shine kept pushing me in circles, her hands locked firmly onto the handles. Slowly but surely, the distance between us and Amy on the bench was growing wider.
"Jeff."
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you don't need the bathroom?"
"Shine, do you need to go?"
She kept bringing it up. Realizing she had been dropping hints about the restroom for a while now, I looked back at her. Was she the one who desperately needed to go? If she was holding it in just to push me around, I would feel terrible.
But now that she mentioned it, I actually did feel a slight urge starting to build. I shifted my legs slightly and looked up at her.
"Actually, Shine... I think I do need to go."
"Really?"
Shine reacted instantly, as if she had been waiting for those exact words. The leisurely pace of the wheelchair vanished as she suddenly accelerated into a full sprint. She must have been holding it in desperately.
But instead of heading back toward Amy, Shine suddenly veered off in a completely different direction.
"Wait! What about Amy?"
"The restroom is this way!"
She was right; we were heading toward the public restrooms. But with my legs like this, I needed Amy's help to actually use the toilet. Since Shine also needed to go, it only made sense to bring Amy along.
"I can help you myself!" Shine declared.
The wheelchair didn't slow down. Panicking, I grabbed the handrims of the wheels to force a stop, but Shine's grip was far stronger. She easily overpowered my resistance, pushing the locked wheels forward as she shoved me right into the restroom.
"Wa—Wait, Shine!"
Shine was practically vibrating with excitement. I could see the slight flush on her cheeks and the intense anticipation burning in her eyes. What on earth is she expecting? A cold sweat broke out down my spine.
The restroom was completely empty. Shine pushed me straight toward the stall at the very end.
"Alright, Jeff. Let's go in."
"No! Stop!"
"But you're going to wet yourself if we don't."
"I—I don't care! No!"
Shine relentlessly shoved me toward the corner stall. Imagining the sheer embarrassment of what was about to happen, I resisted with everything I had, desperately clawing at the doorframe. It was a fierce battle of wills—the unstoppable force versus the immovable object.
But in the end, Shine's physical strength was overwhelming.
Slam!
The moment the wheelchair rolled into the narrow stall, Shine shut the door behind us, locking us inside.